Save Me From Myself
by thedragonguardian2014
Summary: Jackson Frost Bennett (Jack) is the new kid at Burgess High. Edward Aster Bunnymund (Bunny), from the popular group the Guardians, thinks Jack's bad news from the start. But as the Guardians get to know Jack, they realize just how much their new comrade needs to be saved. (not good at summaries, but please read!)
1. A Crazy First Morning

Author's note: I will try and upload each chapter once a week at the least.

* * *

Bunny is Edward Aster Bunnymund. Bunny is his nickname.

North is Nicholas Saint Klaus. North is his nickname.

Sandy is Sanderson Mansnoozie. Sandy is his nickname.

Tooth is Tiana Palace. Tooth is her nickname.

Jack is Jackson Frost Bennett. Jack will just be short for Jackson.

Jamie, Sophie, and Pitch all have their original names.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Bye Jack!" an 8-year-old boy hollered, waving to the mentioned 17-year-old. "I love you!"

"Love you, too, Jamie," Jack waved back. "I'll pick you up after school. Have a good first day."

The younger boy threw his backpack over his shoulder before running through the doors of the elementary school, excited to make new friends. The older boy turned towards the street and sighed, looking at the high school on the other side of the crossing.

Jackson Frost Bennett was different, for lack of a better word. He was albino, causing his hair to naturally be white. His eyes, however, were bright blue. He was also very pale.

He stuck his hands grudgingly into his pockets and looked around for cars. He did a double take on one familiar black car. A pale hand waved to him and a smirk appeared on on the boy watching Jack. Jack glared at him before storming across the street and straight through the doors.

As soon as Jack retrieved his papers and books from the office, he put his earphones in and started some music on hid iPod. He found his locker, fumbled with the lock before finally getting the right code in and unlocking it, then threw his stuff in.

A kid purposely bumped into Jack and one of his earphones fell out. He heard the kid mutter "freak" before walking off, laughing with his guy friends.

"Stupid jocks," Jack muttered under his breath before slamming the locker shut and looking at what his first class would be. Gym. "Oh, that's great. Just great."

"Hi!"

Jack winced at the happy, female tone he just heard next to him before turning to see two more kids. He looked them over really good.

The girl was quite stunning. Her blonde hair had multi-colored highlights decorating it, and her purple hue eyes captured you. She smiled wide at him, showing her perfect row of teeth.

_Popular girl, _Jack thought, giving a tooth-y smile back to humor her. _Probably sizing me up for the jocks. _

"Oh my gosh!" the girl gasped. Jack jumped in shock as she grabbed his chin with one hand and poked at his teeth with the other. "So beautiful and white! Like freshley fallen snow!"

"Tooth," the boy sighed, pulling her away. He had a Russian accent. "Fingers out of mouth."

"Sorry," the girl giggled before smiling again at Jack.

Jack now turned to the boy. His hair was white like Jack's, and he also had bright blue eyes. Unlike Jack, who was quite skinny, this boy was plump and had the aura of a jolly being. He gently smiled to Jack and held out a hand.

"I'm Nicholas Klaus," he smiled. "But you can call me North."

Jack hesitated before shaking North's hand. North then motioned to the girl.

"And this is Tiana Palace," North chuckled. "We call her Tooth because she loves teeth."

"I'm going to be a dentist!" she piped up, happily.

Jack inwardly groaned at the girl's energy. He could handle Jamie and Sophie's energy, but not this girl's. This was like another level.

A very short kid suddenly popped up next to North. He had light brown eyes and blonde hair. He smiled up at Jack and waved a little hand. Jack, feeling more comfortable towards this person, smiled and waved back.

"This is Sanderson Mansnoozie," North introduced. "We call him Sandy. He's a mute, by the way."

"Nice to meet you," Jack said to Sandy, who signed to North. _Let's be his new friends. _

"He says ..."

"I got it, dude," Jack held up a hand, chuckling. "I know sign language. My aunt was a mute."

"Was?" North raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Jack said, looking down.

"So what's your name?" Tooth asked.

"Oh!" Jack looked up. "Jackson Bennett. Just call me Jack."

"So you're the new kid?"

Jack turned around (and had to look up) to meet the face of a very intimidating (in Jack's opinion) boy. His hair was a silverish, greyish color and his eyes were a piercing green. Tribal tattoos covered his arms. Jack also noticed the kid at an Austrailian accent.

"Uh," Jack hesitated. "Yes?"

The boy looked Jack up and down then huffed. He turned to the others. "We need to get to class."

"Uh, wait!" Jack said, suddenly. The newest addition turned to face him with an annoyed look. "Uh, where's the gym class?"

Tooth gasped in excitement. "That's our class! You come with us, sweetie!"

She grabbed Jack's hand and pulled him along. North chuckled and Sandy smirked as Jack looked wide-eyed at them for help. North joined Jack's other side while the group walked to the class. The other boy turned towards Sandy and started a signed conversation.

"That was Edward Bunnymund," North whispered to Jack. "We call him Bunny. Don't worry about him. He'll warm up to you eventually."

"What's with the tattoos?" Jack asked North.

"He's from Australia," North explained. "Tattoos such as his are popular among pre teens in his hometown."

"It's him," Bunny spoke up.

Jack turned to see where North and Tooth were looking. And he froze in his tracks.

Standing in the hallway, talking to one of the teachers, looking bored, was the kid from the car earlier: Pitch Black.

"Pitch," North sneered. He turned to Jack. "He's a drop out. He comes every once in a while, takes one or two days of some classes, then ditches for at least one month."

"I heard he's doing drugs again," Bunny glared at the boy in question.

Jack fearfully looked towards Pitch. The black haired, yellow eyed boy caught Jack's gaze and smirked towards him. Jack quickly looked away and pulled his hand away from Tooth's.

"Jack?" Tooth spoke up. "Is everything ok?"

He turned to her, putting on a smile and hiding his fear. "Everything's great. Let's go. I don't want to be late my first day."

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Please let me know what you thought!


	2. An Interesting Afternoon

I'm only scheduled one day this next week (Yay!) so hopefully I can upload two chapters within the next week (besides this one.) Enjoy!

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Bunny had heard what North said. North wasn't exactly a great whisperer, but Bunny had sonar ears, too. You developed things like this when growing up in a tribe near wild animals. And there was no way Bunny was warming up to this weirdo. Especially after his reaction to seeing Pitch. The two had to have known each other somehow, cause Pitch gave that smirk to Jack that he only gives to his friends.

Pitch was a high school drop out that didn't care about success or bettering his life. His dad was a drug lord that was killed about 2 years ago, so he took over. That's why he had dropped out in the first place. He knew how to manipulate very well and despised Bunny and his friends, who were nicknamed the Guardians by the school. They tried keeping all of their peers and the younger students from getting involved in drugs. They didn't want anyone ending up like Pitch.

Throughout the entire school day, Bunny could see Jack was keeping his distance, mentally and physically, from the group. Bunny was just fine with that. If he could, he'd tell the brat goodbye and good ridance. But then Tooth and North would yell at him and Sandy would give him that disapproving look. Sandy's looks were the worst of them all. His eyes had more power behind them than North's loud bellow and Tooth's threats combined.

And Bunny could only inwardly groan as North offered Jack a ride home.

"It's ok," Jack promised. "I've gotta get my siblings anyway."

"You have siblings!?" Tooth squealed in excitement.

Jack smiled, making sure to keep his mouth shut. _At least the boy learns quick, _Bunny thought.

"Yeah," he chuckled. "Jamie's going to the elementary school across the street. He's 7. And Sophie's at the daycare a couple blocks away. She's 4."

"Then we will definitely give you ride," North clapped Jack on the back, who almost fell completely over from the unexpected force. "A good a boy as you seem, Jack, is not smart to walk far with little children."

"Not sure it's smart to put them in his car either," Bunny muttered, and Jack looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

_He heard me? _Bunny thought. _Wow, this kid's good. _

"Fine," Jack gave in, massaging the shoulder North had clapped. "Let's go."

North went to get his car while the rest walked with Jack across the street to the elementary school.

"JACK!"

Bunny couldn't help but chuckle as Jack was tackled by his little brother. They both fell to the ground and Jack laughed as he pulled himself up. Bunny had to admit, Jack's laugh was bright and cheerful, it almost made Bunny laugh along with him and the other two. _Almost. _

"Jamie, this is Tooth, Sandy, and Bunny," Jack introduced them.

Jamie immediately looked to Bunny. "My sister will love you."

Bunny raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

"She loves the Easter Bunny."

Bunny found himself blushing and turned away so no one saw. He was not one to blush. After all, this was a 4-year-old they were talking about. She'd only love his name. Then Bunny noticed Jamie was gaping at them.

"Close ya mouth, ya ankle-biter," Bunny said. "You'll catch flies like that."

"Jack!" Jamie exclaimed excitedly, grasping his brother in as tight a hug as his little arms could do. Jack gasped in shock, not expecting the sudden touch. "You made friends! And on your first day!" Bunny swore he saw tears in Jamie's eyes as he said this.

* * *

"Got a question for you, Frostbite," Bunny said, looking at Jack.

Jack flinched at the nickname, but didn't protest. "And that would be?"

"Why was Jamie so emotional about us hanging with you?" Bunny asked bluntly.

Jack turned to look out of the window, watching as Jamie ran inside to retrieve Sophie from the daycare. He sighed before answering.

"Jamie wants me to be a regular kid so bad," Jack explained, seeming lost in thought as he looked out the window. "But he doesn't realize that I have major responsibilities to our family that I have to fullfill. Besides, no one has ever wanted to be friends with an albino freak."

Bunny felt a twinge of guilt now, judging the boy so quickly. But he wasn't about to put his guard down. Something had to be wrong with the kid for him to be associated with the likes of Pitch Black. Bunny only nodded and jumped as a bundle landed in his lap suddenly.

"Your name is Bunny!?" The little girl that was now in his lap giggled. "I love bunnies. Will you be my friend?"

Bunny smiled. "Sure, ankle-biter. What's your name?"

"Sophie."

"Well, Sophie," Bunny patted her head. "I'm sure we'll be the best of friends."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jack and Jamie (who was on Jack's lap) smile. Jamie turned to North.

"So your name is Nicholas Klaus? Like, as in Santa Claus?"

North laughed his jolly laugh (which resembled one that Bunny was sure Santa Claus would have) and started the car. "Young one, my family is from the direct bloodline of the legend himself."

"Seriously!?" Jamie said excitedly. "I love Christmas! Oh, you must have the best Christmas celebrations! Invite Jack and us, ok?"

"Easter, too!" Sophie pipped up.

Bunny now noticed Jack was smiling, but his eyes were sad. He hugged Jamie a little tighter and looked out the window, letting himself get lost in his thoughts. Bunny felt a tug on his t-shirt and looked to see Sandy sign to him.

_Something is wrong with Jack. We must find out what it is. Please give him a chance. _

"I'll think about it," Bunny whispered in response, hugging Sophie. "I promise you that, Sandy."


	3. A Secret Debt

I've had the whole day to myself today so I thought, why not write another chapter? I have to finish my college homework tomorrow, so the next update probably won't be until at least Monday. Enjoy!

* * *

Jack took a breath of relief as North zoomed off in the car without waiting for Jack and his siblings to go inside. He picked Sophie up and held her tight with one arm while securely holding Jamie's hand with his free hand. He led them around to the back door and looked at Jamie expectantly.

"Go straight upstairs," Jamie replayed his orders that Jack gave him every day. "Go with Sophie to my room and lock the door. Don't come out unless you say it's ok."

"Good," Jack nodded in relief. "Go." He set Sophie down, who took her brother's hand and was, for once, quiet. She didn't know why, but she understood that when Jack gave them an order, she was to follow it quietly.

Jack made sure they were inside and up the stairs before going back around to the front. He picked up his backpack he left in the yard and slowly opened the door. He pulled a key out of his pocket and turned to the locked hallway closet. Unlocking it and opening the door, he pulled out a gun case and hesistated before sighing. He set the case back in its place before closing and locking the door.

"Jack, sweetheart?" a scared voice asked. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, Mom," Jack replied, walking towards the living room. He froze in the doorway.

"Hello, Jackson."

Pitch Black sat next to his parents on the couch. He smirked and uncrossed his arms before standing up and walking over to Jack. He stopped before turning to Jack's parents.

"Get the hell out," he warned.

Jack's parents looked to him in fear, but Jack only nodded. They stood up and went upstairs. As they passed by, his mom secretly signed that they would lock their door like he wanted him too. Once they were gone, Pitch turned back to Jack.

"I don't like the way you avoided me today," he explained. "Or the glares. I'm adding another $100."

"What!?" Jack snapped.

"Don't get snappy with me!" Pitch growled, pushing Jack against the wall, holding him there by his throat. "I can add another zero in there if you want."

"No!" Jack held his hands up. "$100 is fine! I'll pay it, I promise!"

"Along with the other $15,000?" Pitch raised an eyebrow.

"I promise!" Jack said. He gasped as Pitch tightened his hold on Jack's throat before releasing him.

Pitch walked over to a shelf and picked up a picture frame. It was of Jack, his parents, and his siblings. They were all wearing swimsuits at the beach.

"Such a shame, isn't it?" Pitch sarcastically sighed. "That poor accident." He looked up at Jack. "Does it still hurt?"

Jack subconsciously tugged on his shirt out of nervousness. "No."

"Hmm."

Pitch set down the picture frame and grabbed his coat. He stopped next to Jack, punching him in the stomach. Jack gasped and held in stomach in pain.

"Don't forget Saturday," Pitch said. "You're bringing the package."

Jack only nodded. Pitch just chuckled and kicked one of Jack's legs. Jack fell to his knees and hissed in pain.

"Still sore from the last punishment, I see," Pitch smirked. "Learn your lesson next time."

Jack stayed on the floor until he heard Pitch slam the door behind him. He waited a few seconds before pushing himself up and limping up the stairs.

"It's ok now," Jack hollered as he reached the top.

His parents were the first to come out. Jamie opened his door and he and Sophie ran to their dad. Jack's mom ran over to him.

"Are you ok, baby?" She looked at where Jack was holding his stomach and favoring his leg. She gasped. "Did he hurt you? What did he say to you?"

"Mom," Jack weakly smiled. "I'll be ok. I'm just, uh ..." He looked towards his siblings then back to his mom. "I fell."

His mom nodded, understanding. They tried to keep Jamie and Sophie unaware of the situation. Jack finally retreated to his room and plopped down onto his bed, sighing. His phone buzzed several times before he finally pulled it out of his pocket. He had a message from Pitch and another message from an unknown number. He opened the one from Pitch first.

**If you tell the Guardians anything, **it read. **It'll cost you more than money. **

Jack gulped, scared but confused. Who were the Guardians? He opened the other message.

**It's North, **it read. **I may've hacked the school computer to get your number. :)**

Jack chuckled at that. He added North as a contact before replying.

**It's cool, **he typed. **Hey, I heard about this group called the Guardians. Who are they?**

North replied about a minute later. **Oh, that's me and my friends. I'll explain more tomorrow. **

Jack groaned in frustration. The world just loved to make things difficult for him. But he was good at this game, and he was also good at secrets and lying. It wouldn't be hard to keep things from these so-called Guardians. He just needed to keep a good amount of distance from them. And if they pushed, he knew how to shove back.

He could hear whispering from the next room over, and he knew his parents were discussing what to do next. He knew they were worried about him.

Two years ago, Jack was hit by a car walking home from school. He continued to thank the Man in the Moon every day that he didn't have Jamie and Sophie with him that day. His injuries were pretty bad, and the people who hit him just wrapped him up and threw him (while he was unconscious) into a cold lake nearby. By the time the police found him on a missing person's search, he was near death from hypovolemic shock (blood loss) and hypothermia (cold shock.)

The doctors were able to save Jack's life and stablize him, but then came the big problem: how could his parents pay for those medical bills? They'd gone broke only 3 months before paying off his late aunt's cancer expenses. They'd borrowed some money from Eugene Black, a druglord, to pay off the final bits of his aunt's expenses. Eugene offered the money to pay Jack's bills, but said Jack would have to pay back the money in labor to him. After Jack woke up long enough for his parents to discuss it with them, they had no choice but to agree to Eugene's demands.

And then, when Eugene was killed and Pitch took over, things had steadily gotten worse. If Jack made him upset or mad, Pitch would add more money to their debt. It was clear Pitch wanted complete control of Jack, and Jack had no way of escaping that grip. He's was practically Pitch's puppet now.

Jack rubbed the leg that Pitch had kicked. That leg had been so messed up from getting hit by the car that the doctors didn't think Jack would ever walk again. It was a miracle that it healed almost perfectly. There was a scar running across the leg, so he always wore jeans and got a doctor's excuse to never do gym classes.

"Jack, dinner's ready!"

"Coming, Mom!" Jack hollered, hopping up from the bed.

He'd figure out what to do. And he'd find a way to get that money and finally free himself somehow. He had to.


	4. An Unfortunate Meeting

Sandy couldn't help but silently chuckle as Jack's shocked face, seeing North's car in his driveway. His siblings immediately tumbled into the car excitedly, jumping onto Bunny's lap and chattering endlessly. Jack just sighed and climbed into the empty seat in the back.

"Now I explain some stuff to you, Jack," North began as they headed off for school. Sandy looked at North curiously. "My friends and I have known each other since we were practically in diapers. We used to be very good friends with Pitch, until we were old enough to realize what kind of business his father was in. Pitch decided his destiny was to take over for his father, so we slowly drifted apart from him. We've tried making sure he doesn't get anyone else involved in his gangs or drug deals. Our classmates nicknamed us the Guardians we're trying to protect people from leading bad lives."

"Oh." Sandy noticed Jack sinking into his seat and looking out of the window. "Cool."

Sandy noticed Bunny raise an eyebrow judgingly towards Jack and sighed. Ever since Pitch started verbally attacking them, Bunny had been weary towards anyone else new. He was extremely protective over his friends. It was a good quality for the most part, but sometimes Bunny took it too far.

Throughout the day, Jack seemed more weary of the Guardians than yesterday. Sandy wished that Jack would open up to them. Bunny had openly suggested Pitch and Jack were friends somehow when Jack shyed away from the glances Pitch threw at the group yesterday. He was also very vocal on his opinion on Jack, none of which were very nice. That made him earn a glare from Sandy, which shut him up. Sandy was normally the first dropped off, so he figured Bunny started up again after he left the vehicle.

Jack told them at the end of the school day that he had to go to a relative's house and Jamie was going over to a friend's house (and Sophie would still be at the caretakers) so he was going to walk. Sandy told the group he was going to follow him to make sure he got there alright. Bunny was worried about him but he continued after Jack anyway.

He followed Jack to an alleyway where he hid behind a trash dumpster to watch Jack approach Pitch with two of his right-hand men, Mike and Jeff.

"You've been texting me all day," Jack spoke first, sounding annoyed. "What do you want?"

"I saw you riding with the Guardians to school," Pitch growled. "Did you tell them anything?"

"Of course not," Jack said, his voice sounding nervous now. "I know better than to disobey you."

"But you sure know how to piss me off," Pitch crossed his arms. "So you're going to be taught another lesson. Fellas."

Jack tried running off, but Mike and Jeff grabbed him and gagged him. Pitch's laughs and Jack's muffled screams sent chills down Sandy's spine. He pulled his cell out and texted North.

**Where are you and the others? **he typed.

Sandy looked up to see them kicking Jack, who was know half conscious on the ground. He didn't seem to respond until they started kicking his left leg. Then he started crying harder.

"Keep kicking that leg," Pitch ordered his friends. "Make him wish he had been crippled in that accident."

Sandy's phone buzzed and he looked down to see North's response.

**Was just about to drop Bunny off but he's waiting to see your reply. What's wrong? **

**It's Jack, **Sandy typed. **Pitch took him into and alley and had some guys beat him. He's barely conscious. **

North replied almost immediately. **We're on our way. **

Sandy hid further behind the dumpster as Pitch and his friends left the alleyway, laughing. He hurried over to Jack, who was silently crying now, and pushed the hair back from his face. He weakly smiled at me, and pulled the gag down, wincing at the blood that soaked into it.

"Hey Sandy," his voice croaked, being sore from screaming. "What are you doing here?"

Sandy only patted Jack on the cheek and pulled Jack's head into his lap, trying to keep him awake. Jack winced at the movement. Sandy felt relieved when he North's favorite CD blaring from a car. Within seconds, the remaining trio ran over to the boys.

"Oh no," Tooth gasped, taking in Jack's beaten form.

"Crikey," Bunny muttered under his breath, looking horrified at the sight before him.

"We must get him to hospital," North said as Jack fell unconscious. "Now."

* * *

North sighed as he came out of Jack's room and into the waiting room where the rest of the Guardians were waiting.

"Well?" Tooth asked.

"Jack denies that Pitch was present," North frowned. "Though he admits two guys did beat him up, but says he doesn't know their names. Police can do nothing if Jack doesn't cooperate."

_Pitch said something about an accident, _Sandy signed.

"Accident?" Bunny asked.

Sandy nodded. _When the boys were kicking Jack, Pitch told them to kick his left leg so he wished the accident had left him crippled. _

"There's definitely something going on between those two," Bunny growled. "I knew Jack was up to no good."

"Bunny," Tooth glared at him. "As evil as Pitch is, he doesn't beat up his friends. Whatever relationship those two have, it's not a good one. You saw the way Jack looked scared from Pitch the first day."

"Then we must figure out what is going on," North said. He tapped his chin. "Sophie definitely wouldn't know anything, and we don't know his parents."

"Would Jamie know anything?" Tooth asked.

"Doubt it," Bunny replied. "Jack would do anything to keep them out of his messes. He's a good big brother, troublemaker or not."

_We have to help him, _Sandy brought up. _We promised each other we'd save our classmates from lives like this. That now includes Jack. _

"Sandy is right," North nodded. "As soon as Jack is out of hospital, we start working to help him better life."

Tooth and Sandy nodded pleasantly, while Bunny just muttered something incoherent before grudgingly agreeing.


	5. You Don't Know Me

Sorry that his chapter is a little shorter, but I had a time crunch between school and work today, and I might not be able to get on tomorrow, but I'll have another chapter up by the end of the weekend! Enjoy!

* * *

Jack groaned in pain as he came into consciousness. He heard a consistent beeping and remembered he was in the hospital. His school 'friends' had brought him here after Sandy found him getting beat up by Pitch's men. Jack had luckily strayed the blame from any of them. If Pitch and his friends were arrested, Jack might as well have died from the first beating. That would have been merciful compared to what the rest of Pitch's men would've done to him for getting Pitch arrested.

"Good afternoon, sleepy child," a familiar voice greeted Jack.

Jack opened his eyes to see his school 'friends', the Guardians. Bunny looked at North.

"I'm pretty sure the expression is sleepy head, not sleepy child."

"Bah," North waved Bunny off, who in turn glared at him. "Not important. What's important is that we speak with you, Jack."

"About what?" Jack asked, his voice still sore.

"Sandy saw Pitch's guys beat you, Jack," Tooth looked worriedly at the albino teen. "And Pitch was there, encouraging them. Why did you cover for them?"

"What are you talking about?" Jack asked, pretending to be clueless.

"No games, mate," Bunny said in a serious tone that made Jack freeze in fear. "We're trying to help you, Jack. What is going on with you and Pitch?"

Jack sighed then thought back to Pitch's text message. _If you tell the Guardians anything, it'll cost you more than money. _

That meant Pitch would go after his family, even his younger siblings. He couldn't let them get hurt. He had an obligation to protect them, and he wasn't going to let them down.

"Nothing," Jack replied, looking away from them.

"Jack," Tooth asked in a quiet voice. "Are you doing drugs?"

Jack whipped his head to look at Tooth in shock. "You think I'm doing drugs!?"

"Well, Pitch-"

"Do I look like I do drugs to you?" Jack asked defensively.

"Hey, calm down, mate," Bunny growled. "She's just trying to help."

"Well, I don't need your help," Jack said coldly, glaring at Bunny. "Any of you. You don't know me. If you did, you'd know I can take care of myself."

"Now you listen here, Jackson," Bunny started, standing up.

"No!" Jack screamed, shooting up into a seating position, ignoring the immediate pain. Tooth, North, and Sandy winced at the pained look on his face. "_No one _calls me Jackson! No one!"

"Why?" Bunny smirked. "Brings back bad memories?"

Jack looked down to avoid Bunny's eyes. They did indeed bring back bad memories. It was the first time he'd met Pitch.

_"So, you're the kid that owes my dad money?" Pitch asked, circling around Jack. _

_Jack gulped. "Uh, yeah."_

_Pitch smirked and placed a gun against Jack's back. Jack froze in terror. _

_"What's your name?" Pitch asked slowly. _

_"J-J-Jackson Bennett," Jack trembled in fear. He'd never been in a situation like this before, and he never wanted to be in it again. _

_"Well, Jackson," Pitch chuckled. "I think you and I will be good friends." He took the gun from Jack's back, and Jack let out a relieved sigh. _

Pitch had a way of saying Jack's legal name that brought shivers down his spine every time. And Pitch knew it too, and often would use it to get an advantage. He looked up at Bunny with a pained look, and noticed that Bunny faltered slightly before turning towards the others.

"I'm not spending any more time with this freak," Bunny stated. "I'll be waiting in the car."

He got up and walked out, and Tooth turned to Jack.

"I'm sure he didn't mean-"

"No, he did," Jack cut her off. "I know when I'm not wanted. You guys go. I'm not worth it anyway."

Jack sunk back down into his covers, turning away from the Guardians. He heard them sigh in defeat before finally standing up and leaving the room. Once they shut the door behind them, Jack let the tears fall.


	6. Part of the Truth

North and the others were waiting for Bunny to get out of his last hour class (which was Art) so they could all pile into North's car and go on their Friday car ride down to the beach. It was a great way to start the weekend, and it was something they had done since they first met in middle school.

"Nicholas!"

North turned to see Jamie Bennett run up to them, his backpack flying in the air behind him, barely staying on his arm.

"Jamie!" Tooth said joyfully.

"How's Jack?" He looked up at the Guardians worryingly. "Mom and Dad won't let Sophie and I go see him in the hospital. Is he gonna be ok?"

"He'll be fine," North reassured Jamie, putting a hand on his shoulder. "He's just got to recover."

"It's that guy again, isn't it?" Jamie sighed.

North looked to Sandy and Tooth. Sandy looked away in worry and Tooth knelt down look Jamie in the eyes.

"What guy?" Tooth asked.

"Some guy comes over at least once a week," Jamie shrugged. "And he always wants to see Jack. Sophie and I go to my room and lock the door like Jack says to, every day. And the days the guy does come, Jack's always limping around the house for the rest of the day. It's his hurt leg, too."

"What does the guy look like?" North asked.

"Black hair, pale, creepy eyes," Jamie shuddered.

"Wait, hurt leg?" Tooth spoke up. "What happened to his leg?"

"He hasn't told you?" Jamie looked behind the group. "Hi Bunny."

"Hey kid," Bunny patted Jamie on the head. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Jack," Jamie frowned. "It doesn't surprise me he didn't tell you guys."

"Tell us what?" Bunny asked.

"You know," North spoke up. "I've always wondered why he never participated in gym class."

"He physically can't," Jamie shrugged. "Not since the accident."

"Accident?" Bunny raised an eyebrow in curiousity.

"Yeah," Jamie nodded. "Jack was walking home one day and these people hit him with their car. Then they threw him in the lake nearby. His leg was messed up so bad they didn't think he'd ever walk again. Now there's just an ugly scar. Ever since, Mom and Dad have been super protective of him and have always worried about him. Then that guy came into the picture 2 years ago. I once heard him say he was adding on to Jack's debt. I don't know what that meant, though."

The Guardians looked at each other in shock.

"I'll give you a ride home, Jamie," North said. "Come on."

* * *

Bunny watched to make sure Jamie and Sophie were inside the house safely before speaking up.

"I told you something was going on with those two!"

"Now stop right there, Edward!" Tooth snapped.

Bunny immediately closed his mouth. He knew he'd pissed her off if she used his real name. North and Sandy froze in worry, waiting for the lecture they would all be subjected to because of Bunny ... again.

"You heard what Jamie said as well as the rest of us," she reminded him. "Pitch said something about Jack being in debt to him."

"Wonder how Jack got into debt with someone like Pitch," North said. "And he must know about Jack's accident if he's always injuring Jack's scarred leg."

_That would explain what he said to his guys when they were beating him, _Sandy signed. _Jack was almost crippled from his leg's injuries._

"You're right, Sandy," North nodded in agreement. "Now if only Jack would open up to us why he's in debt to Pitch, we could-"

"Oh no, North," Bunny said. "I'm not getting into his problems. He pushed us away yesterday at the hospital. He obviously doesn't want our help."

"Are you that much of an idiot, Bunny?" Tooth said with no expression.

That shut all three boys up.

"What?" Bunny finally asked.

"You saw how Jack looked scared by seeing Pitch his first day," Tooth pointed out. "Every time his name's been mentioned, he flinches. He's being physically abused by Pitch and his men. And he's tied to this because of a debt. I doubt that he doesn't want help. He probably just doesn't know how to ask for it."

Bunny faltered. He hadn't thought of that.

"Let's go try again, shall we?" North backed out of the driveway and started heading for the hospital. "Maybe when Jack is let out, we can take him to the beach with us. Get him to trust us. Right Bunny?"

"Yeah, mate," Bunny absentmindedly answered. He looked out the window at all of the passing houses, spacing out. Maybe, just maybe, he can give Jack another chance.


	7. Of Course You're My Friends

I know these last couple of chapters have been shorter but I promise to write a longer one soon! I just haven't had time because this weekend turned out to be way crazier than I thought, with some family medical issues. Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

One of the nurses, Bettie, stepped inside the room and smiled at me.

"Jack," she said gently. "Some friends got permission from your parents to sign you out of the hospital."

I froze from pulling on my jacket. "Who?"

"Let me see." Bettie looked at her clipboard. "The only one old enough by regulations was Edward Aster Bunnymund. The rest of your friends were underage."

Jack silently nodded and Bettie left the room. Jack picked up the papers of drawings that his parents brought to him that Jamie and Sophie made him. Sophie drew him a bunny; Jamie drew him a picture of their family and even added the Guardians as Jack's best friends. Jack couldn't help but smile at that.

"Jack?"

Jack looked up to see Bunny standing nervously in the doorway, avoiding Jack's eyes.

"You ready to go mate?"

"Yeah," Jack said, carefully putting the drawings into his backpack. "Thanks for signing me out."

"No problem," Bunny said, leading Jack down the hallway. "Uh, every weekend, we go to the beach for a day of fun. You and I are about the same size, so I brought an extra pair of swim trunks, in case you wanted to join us."

Jack felt himself pale. What he never told anyone was that he'd been partly conscious when those people threw him into the lake. He passed out submerged in water, thinking that was going to be his grave.

"You ok, mate?" Bunny asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Jack shook his head. "I'm fine. Yeah, I'd love to go with you guys."

* * *

Jack focused on taking deep breaths as he looked at himself in the mirror of the bathroom at the beach house the Guardians used when they came here. The scar on his leg was clearly visible, and you could see how skinny Jack was. He was disgusted with the way he looked.

"Are you ready, Jack?" North hollered from outside. "Time's ticking away! Come on!"

"Coming!" Jack hollered, grabbing a towel and tossing it over his shoulder.

He glared playfully at Bunny as he walked into the room. "Swim trunks with snowflakes on them? What, is this another crack at my name?"

"Awe, come on, mate," Bunny laughed. "Take away Bennett and your name is technically Jack Frost. It's comical."

Jack only rolled his eyes and smiled. He saw all their eyes flicker to his leg before going right back to his face. They all smiled at him. He shifted on his weight uncomfortably.

"Let's go!" Tooth squealed, grabbing Jack's hand and pulling him along.

Once they were on the sand, Jack was able to pull himself from Tooth's grasp and set his towel down to watch the others run happily into the water. Jack only smiled at their joy.

"Come on, Jack!" North said happily. "The water's great!"

"Uh," Jack faltered. "I'll come in a minute."

"Aw, come on!" Bunny ran out. "Don't be shy!" Bunny grabbed Jack and threw him up, securing him into Bunny's arms.

"Whoa!" Jack gasped in shock. "No! Bunny, I beg you, put me down!"

"Not a chance, Frostbite!" Bunny chuckled before running towards the water.

"NO!" Jack screamed before Bunny tossed him in. As he submerged into the water, he felt himself freeze up. He felt the immense pain from the car accident, the ice cold water, the faces of the people who didn't want to get caught. Jack closed his eyes tightly, wishing it all away. Two hands grabbed his shoulders and pulled him to the surface.

Jack gasped for air as North held onto Jack tightly, quickly dragging him out of the water and laying him on the beach. Tooth ran over with Jack's towel and began wiping Jack's face dry as Jack coughed and sputtered. Bunny and Sandy just stood by - Sandy in shock and Bunny in guilt.

"Jack, are you alright?" North asked after Jack's coughing had died down and his breathing became less labored and more relaxed. "What happened?"

"I have aquaphobia," Jack gasped out.

"Well, blimey, mate!" Bunny grunted in disbelief. "Why'd you agree to come to a blasted beach, then?"

"Because I've never been invited to go somewhere with friends before," Jack blurted out.

The Guardians fell silent.

"You ..." Tooth said in shock. "You consider us friends?"

"Of course," Jack smiled. "You keep coming back, even when I push you away. Everyone's always pushed me away." Jack slowly sat up. "So, shall we just go out to eat?"

They all smiled and chuckled before drying off, changing, and heading off in North's car to find a restaurant.


	8. He's Been Taken

Let me know what you think of this new twist!

* * *

Jack waved as North backed out of the driveway and zoomed off. He smiled before walking inside and closing the door behind him.

"Mom, Dad, I'm home!"

Silence.

"Mom? Dad?"

He peeked into the living room. No one was there.

"Jamie? Sophie? Anyone?"

"Hello, _Jackson_."

Jack didn't have time to react before a cloth was slapped over his mouth and an arm hooked itself around him. Jack didn't hesitate before slamming his heel into his attacker's knee. Pitch yelled in pain and let go of Jack. Jack ran around the couch and turned to look at Pitch.

"Where's my family?"

"I've done nothing to them," Pitch promised. "I waited until they'd left for some party that Sophie was invited to." He glared at Jack. "You didn't come Saturday."

"Well, I'm sorry!" Jack said sarcastically. "I was kind of in a hospital thanks to you."

"Is that sarcasm I hear hints of, Bennett?" Pitch asked.

"No," Jack instantly shook his head. "I'm sorry."

"Damn right, you're sorry," Pitch started walking towards Jack, who started backing up. "It's one thing after another with you. You honestly think the _Guardians _want to be friends with an albino _freak _like you?"

Yes," Jack said confidentally, making Pitch laugh hard.

"Jack, Jack, Jack," Pitch chuckled as he cornered Jack. "They pity you just like they pity me. But they know I'm too far gone, so they don't try to 'save' me." Pitch rolled his eyes at the word save. "They think you're just a drug addict like me."

Jack thought back to what Tooth said at the hospital.

_Jack, are you doing drugs? _

Pitch raised an eyebrow as uncertainty flickered through the Jack's eyes. He pushed Jack against the wall and kneed Jack in the stomach, who doubled over. Pitch reached into Jack's pockets to search for weapons and pulled out a key.

"This is for the hall closet, am I correct?"

Pitch smirked as Jack weakly tried to get the key back from him. Pitch punched Jack in the jaw, sending him collasping to the floor. Jack held his jaw and hissed in pain as Pitch retreated to the hallway. He got up and ran for the stairs. He burst open the door to his bedroom and grabbed his cell phone, texting North.

**If I don't show up at school tomorrow, I need you to come looking for me, **he typed.

He quickly hit send and stuffed the phone under his pillow. He ran over towards the window and opened it. He froze at the sound of a gun clicking.

"Move an inch and I'll shoot, Jackson," Pitch promised. "Now, close the window."

* * *

The Guardians pulled into the driveway just after the Bennetts. North showed the parents Jack's text, and they all hurried inside. The hall closet had been left ajar, and Mr. Bennett searched it.

"The gun, it's gone!"

"Frank!"

Mr. Bennett hurried to his wife in the living room. Sandy took Jamie and Sophie back outside as the others ran into the living room. The place had been trashed, and there were hints of blood in one corner of the room.

"He took him, Frank!" Mrs. Bennett cried.

"I don't understand," Bunny said breathlessly. "What's happened?"

Mr. Bennett frowned to the teens. "Jamie told us he told you about Jack's accident. When it had happened, we were just finishing pay off Patricia's final expenses."

"Patricia was Jack's aunt, wasn't she?" North asked.

"Yes, my younger sister," Mr. Bennett sighed. "We were broke, and the medical bills for Jack were more than we could handle. Eugene offered to pay the bills as long as we eventually paid him back. And Eugene was kind about it, too. But, when he was killed, everything changed. As soon as Jack and Pitch met, I could tell the boy had an infatuation with my son." North and Bunny shuttered at the thought. "Any little thing that Jack did that Pitch didn't like, more debt was added. And Pitch declared Jack had to pay it - we couldn't help him in any way."

"He wanted to control Jack," Tooth sighed.

"Yes," Mrs. Bennett answered. "He has always threatened to take Jack, which is why the kids were constantly switching schools. We were trying to escape Pitch's radar, but he always found us. And now he's taken him." She broke down crying.

"I'm calling the police," Mr. Bennett said, grabbing the home phone. "I'm going to kill Pitch Black when they find him."

"We'll help in any way we can, Mr. Bennett," Bunny spoke up, causing the other two to look at him in shock. Bunny just rolled his eyes at them.

"Has he ever ..." Tooth hesitated before finishing. "Done anything to Jack? Anything sexual?"

"Well, he always gets too close for comfort," Mr. Bennett shuttered at the thought of Pitch touching his son. "But now that no one's around to pull Jack away from him, who knows what he'll do." He dialed a number and put the phone to his ear. "Yes, I'd like to report a kidnapping. My son has been taken."


	9. The Search Begins

Pitch smiled as he took in Jack's limp form from the back seat in the rear view mirror. Everything had gone perfectly, and now he had Jack. Jack was now going to be at Pitch's mercy, and that's exactly how Pitch had always wanted it.

He thought back to when he first saw Jack. He and his girlfriend (yes, he was straight back then) had been zooming down the streets in his old convertible, drinking and smoking away. Pitch hadn't seen Jack crossing the street as his car zoomed around the corner. Without guilt, he and his girlfriend took Jack to a nearby lake and threw him in. He remembered seeing the water turn red from the blood, his leg sticking out at an odd angle, obviously broken. But he didn't think twice about it. He was the son of a druglord. Things like this didn't bother him.

Pitch had told his father what he'd done, and his father just waved it off. But then Jack was found and they were able to save his life. Eugene was furious to find out Jack was the son of the married couple who just paid back the money he lent them for another relative's final expenses. He immediately offered to pay the bills and told them to take their time on paying him back. Pitch was infuriated that his father was being so kind to that family. And that was why he had his father killed.

Pitch took over, being the rightful heir through blood. He immediately beat down on the Bennett family, saying Jack was the one to pay the expenses, and they weren't allowed to help him in any way. But when Pitch met Jack face to face for the first time, he noticed he felt infatuated by the boy.

It was hard for him to imagine that this albino weirdo, Jackson Frost Bennett, was able to turn the great druglord Pitch Black gay. He got rid of his girlfriend and started working on gaining complete control over Jack. He knew he'd needed to keep Jack under debt so he had an excuse to keep seeing him. That's why he used anything Jack did that he didn't like to add money. He beat Jack and had his men beat Jack to make sure the boy knew how much power Pitch had. And the one time he had Jack all to himself, he made sure Jack knew that he wouldn't hesitate to take him.

Now all he had to do was keep everyone at bay from finding them. He wasn't going to lose. Not now.

* * *

It was hard for the Guardians to watch Mr. and Mrs. Bennett as they explained to Jamie and Sophie the situation at hand. Sophie didn't understand the concept of kidnapping and only cried because her brother was gone. Jamie got mad and demanded to know why Pitch had taken Jack. But he was too young to understand the sexual aspects of anything.

The group finally had to leave so the police could talk to the family in private. They all retreated to Tooth's house, where Tooth made her soothing green tea with some wheat crackers. None of them touched the crackers however. They all just sipped on their tea in silence.

"Poor kid," Bunny finally said. "It's all my fault."

"Bunny, it's not-"

"If I hadn't said all those things to him, Tooth, maybe he would've opened up sooner!" Bunny growled. "Maybe we could've protected him from anything Pitch was planning. Who knows what that freak is doing to Jack right now!"

Bunny felt two little hands one of his and looked to see Sandy look at him with sad eyes. The little boy lifted his hands and signed.

_The police looked through Jack's phone. He had a message from Pitch saying if he told us, it would cost him more than money. _

"Pitch would've gone after his family," North said. "He was trying to protect his family."

"Well, we can't just sit here and talk about it, can we?" Bunny said, setting town his tea and standing up. "Let's see if we can convince the principal to spend tomorrow out searching through the woods."

"You think Mr. Moon will let us?" Tooth asked in shock. "I mean, this is a druglord we're dealing with here."

"We've gotta try," Bunny smiled to Tooth. "Have hope, Toothy."

* * *

"Holler if you see anything!" Mr Moon. stood in front of his student body, which was gathered all together outside the school grounds. "And do not walk off alone. Keep track of your time; we'll meet back here at 11:30 for lunch. Set off, troops!"

There were four large groups with their own section to search. A teacher and one of the Guardians was in charge of each group. Tooth, Bunny, and Sandy found nothing with their group. They prayed North found something. When the school met back together for lunch time, they observed what they saw.

"Well," North explained. "We found Pitch's car, but it was abandoned. It was still on, too, as if he'd left in a hurry."

"Jack must've been trying to escape," Tooth sighed desperately. "And Pitch must've ditched the car to chase after him."

"We also found this," North said, holding out a gun. "It's says _property of Frank Bennett _on the handle."

"Well, at least we know he doesn't have a gun on Jack anymore," Bunny said shakily. "Where to now?"

"We all go back to car," North nodded. "Some of us will search car again, others will go in every direction possible to see if we can find a trace of where Jack and Pitch went."

"We better get the police in on this, too," Mr. Moon said, pulling out his cell phone. "I'll call for a paramedic to stand by, just in case. We'll set off when they get here."

"Let's pray we don't need that paramedic," North said worryingly under his breath.


End file.
